FITUG e.V. Förderverein Informationstechnik und Gesellschaft

FC: U.K. plans mandatory IP indoctrination for children,

------- Forwarded message follows ------- Date sent: Wed, 6 Jun 2001 12:17:49 -0400 From: Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com> To: politech@politechbot.com Subject: FC: U.K. plans mandatory IP indoctrination for children, from Cluebot Send reply to: declan@well.com

http://www.cluebot.com/article.pl?sid=01/06/05/2338246

U.K. Plans Mandatory IP Indoctrination for Children posted by vergil on Wednesday June 06, @12:10PM from the get-em-while-they're-young dept.

Forget digital watermarks and cease-and-desist letters. The future of intellectual property enforcement lies not in technological access controls or litigation, but mandatory education. Anthony Murphy, the UK Patent Office's Director of Copyright since 1999, has hit upon a novel solution to stamp out public disregard for copyright law by nipping future file-swappers in the bud.

In a move that's an eerie cross between Brave New World and the Lehman Working Group's "Just Say Yes" (to licensing) proposal, the UK's Patent Office and Department of Education have teamed up to teach youngsters the virtues of copyright. Starting in fall 2002, reverance to intellectual property -- and, presumably, disdain for Napster and its successors -- will become part the "Citizenship" aspect of England's National Curriculum for secondary school students.

According to a April 26, 2001 UK Patent Office press release:

"In Autumn 2002, a new subject, Citizenship, is being introduced into the National Curriculum in UK secondary schools. Its aim is to teach children how to be good, moral, citizens and Anthony Murphy believes the subject would be an ideal vehicle for teaching children about intellectual property.

'By bringing awareness of the importance of copyright into our schools, tomorrow's consumers can take their place in a community which understands, values and respects intellectual property.'"

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